Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; SeattleCrashed under unknown circumstances on approach.Flying Llama LLC: http://registry.faa.gov/N123JNDate:12-FEB-18Time:03:15:00ZRegis#:N123JNAircraft Make:MOONEYAircraft Model:M20KEvent Type:ACCIDENTHighest Injury:FATALAircraft Missing:NoDamage:UNKNOWNActivity:UNKNOWNFlight Phase:APPROACH (APR)Operation:91City:BELLINGHAMState:WASHINGTONThose who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation may contact them by email eyewitnessreport@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov.

A plane that crashed Monday night in the Chuckanut Mountains above Larrabee State Park, killing the pilot, was being flown from Paine Field in Snohomish County to Bellingham for maintenance, officials said.Dr. Gary Goldfogel, Whatcom County medical examiner, said the pilot was Don Stanwyck, 61.Federal officials confirmed Tuesday that the aircraft is a single-engine Mooney M20K with the registration number N123JN.That aircraft is owned by Flying Llama LLC of Carnation, according to the Federal Aviation Administration website. Stanwyck’s Facebook pages shows that he is affiliated with at least one llama business.Whatcom County Undersheriff Jeff Parks said the pilot was the only person aboard the four-seat aircraft.“His cause of death is under continuing investigation and his manner of death is to be certified as ‘accidental,’ ” Goldfogel said Tuesday. “He has pre-existing heart disease that may have created a medical emergency and partial explanation for the crash.”An official with the National Transportation Safety Board is heading the investigation, and that person hadn’t yet arrived at the scene Tuesday morning, said NTSB spokesman Chris O’Neil.“We’re in the very early stages of our investigation,” O’Neil said.Whatcom County authorities said the plane crashed about 8 p.m. Monday near the end of Cleator Road, not far from the Fragrance Lake trailhead, about 9 miles south of Bellingham International Airport.“U.S. Coast Guard and local first responders began checking on reports of a small plane that had radio contact with air traffic control advising that the plane was going down. Radio contact was lost and the exact location was unknown,” Parks said in a statement.Bellingham Fire’s fireboat Salish Star joined the initial search, which focused on the waters west of Bellingham between Eliza Island and Governors’ Point, according to emergency radio dispatches.A U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter crew found the wreckage in the mountains just east of the initial search area about 9:15 p.m. Monday and guided Bellingham and South Whatcom firefighters and other personnel to the scene, Parks said.Parks said the wings apparently sheared off as the aircraft descended into a thick forest canopy. Stanwyck’s body was found farther away in debris of the fuselage, he said.“(The pilot) obviously clipped trees on glide path,” Parks said, citing information from deputies that assisted in the search.Battalion Chief Mitch Nolze of South Whatcom Fire Authority said the fuselage toppled a tree across Cleator Road. He said firefighters, sheriff’s deputies and other rescue crews covered the steep terrain on foot and didn’t require technical rope skills.“As far as we could tell, the debris field stretched several hundred feet, if not several hundred yards,” Nolze said, adding the main wreckage started at the top of ridge and stretched downhill.O’Neil said the NTSB’s investigation could take one to two years, and would focus on the pilot, weather and the condition of the aircraft.FAA records show that the aircraft’s last certificate issue date was May 23, 2017. It was certified airworthy Feb. 14, 1979.

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - A Duval man was killed when a small plane crashed in Whatcom County on Monday night, according to the Sheriff's Office.Crews received reports of an aircraft down around 10 p.m. in an area about five miles south of Bellingham International Airport.The Sheriff's Office said the plane had lost radio contact with air traffic control.A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol helicopter found the wreckage in the Larabee State Park area near Chuckanut Mountain, using a signal from the plane's last known location and direction of travel.The Sheriff's Office says initial information indicates that the aircraft plane clipped trees at the summit of Chuckanut Mountain.The Sheriff's Office say reports from the Victoria Tower indicate the aircraft was flying at 2,000 feet and was descending at a rate of 200 feet per minute. Chuckanut Mountain has an elevation of 2,080 feet.When firefighters arrived, they said there were trees down, but no fire.One person, the pilot, was confirmed dead. He has been identified as 61 year old Don Stanwyck of DuvalThe Sheriff's Office said the pilot was the only person on boardAerial footage from KOMO's Air 4 at the scene show that the plane shattered into pieces on impact, with wreckage scattered in the trees and on a nearby roadway.The Sheriff's Office said according to the plane's owner, the single engine, fixed-wing plane was being flown from Paine Field in Snohomish County to Bellingham for maintenance. Story and photo gallery ➤ http://komonews.com

A pilot was killed when the small plane he was in went down in the Chuckanut Mountain area south of Bellingham Monday night.No one else was in the plane.The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office said that at 8 p.m., emergency dispatchers began receiving reports that an aircraft may have went down in a general area thought to be five miles south of the Bellingham International Airport. The U.S. Coast Guard and local first responders began investigating reports of a small plane whose pilot had told air traffic control that the plane was going down. Radio contact was lost and the location of the plane was unknown. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection chopper found the crash scene in the Chuckanut Mountain area near Fragrance Lake. Whatcom County Sheriff's Office search and rescue deputies who reached the crash scene said there were no survivors. National Transportation Safety Board investigators say the plane crashed in mountainous, tree-covered terrain about 10 miles south of the Bellingham Airport.Investigators said the debris field indicates the plane hit and scraped trees as it went down.Authorities said the 1979 fixed wing Mooney M20K, which is registered in Carnation, was being flown to Bellingham from Paine Field for maintenance, according to one of the plane’s owners.The pilot, a 61-year-old man, had a pre-existing heart condition that may have played a role in the crash, the medical examiner said.The Sheriff's Office conducted a grid search of the area Monday to confirm that there was no one else in the plane.The county medical examiner took possession of the pilot's body at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.Investigators are working to confirm the identity of the pilot and notify the next of kin.The NTSB said it could take up to a year to know for certain why the plane went down.Story and photo gallery ➤ http://www.kiro7.com

A plane that crashed Monday night in the Chuckanut Mountains above Larrabee State Park, killing the pilot, was being flown from Paine Field in Snohomish County to Bellingham for maintenance, officials said.Federal officials confirmed Tuesday that the aircraft is a single-engine Mooney M20K with the registration number N123JN.That aircraft is owned by Flying Llama LLC of Carnation, according to the Federal Aviation Administration website.Whatcom County Undersheriff Jeff Parks said the pilot was the only person aboard the four-seat aircraft – the pilot’s identity was being withheld until relatives were notified.An official with the National Transportation Safety Board is heading the investigation, and that person hadn’t yet arrived at the scene Tuesday morning, said NTSB spokesman Chris O’Neil.“We’re in the very early stages of our investigation,” O’Neil said.Whatcom County authorities said the plane crashed about 8 p.m. Monday near the end of Cleator Road, not far from the Fragrance Lake trailhead, about 9 miles south of Bellingham International Airport.“U.S. Coast Guard and local first responders began checking on reports of a small plane that had radio contact with air traffic control advising that the plane was going down. Radio contact was lost and the exact location was unknown,” Parks said in a statement.Bellingham Fire’s fireboat Salish Star joined the initial search, which focused on the waters west of Bellingham between Eliza Island and Governors’ Point, according to emergency radio dispatches.A U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter crew found the wreckage in the mountains just east of the initial search area about 9:15 p.m. and guided Bellingham and South Whatcom firefighters and other personnel to the scene, Parks said.Parks said the wings apparently sheared off as the aircraft descended into a thick forest of cedar, fir and hemlock. The pilot’s body was found farther away in debris of the fuselage, he said.“(The pilot) obviously clipped trees on glide path,” Parks said, citing information from deputies that assisted in the search.The pilot’s body was taken to the Whatcom County Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy.Battalion Chief Mitch Nolze of South Whatcom Fire Authority said the fuselage toppled a tree across Cleator Road. He said firefighters, sheriff’s deputies and other rescue crews covered the steep terrain on foot and didn’t require technical rope skills.“As far as we could tell, the debris field stretched several hundred feet, if not several hundred yards,” Nolze said, adding the main wreckage started at the top of ridge and stretched downhill.O’Neil said the NTSB’s investigation could take one to two years, and would focus on the pilot, weather and the condition of the aircraft.FAA records show that the aircraft’s last certificate issue date was May 23, 2017. It was certified airworthy Feb. 14, 1979.Story, video and photos ➤ http://www.bellinghamherald.com